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The Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) requires all international students subject to existing UK immigration permissions, who are applying to study for a postgraduate qualification in certain sensitive subjects, knowledge of which could be used in programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) or their means of delivery, to apply for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate before they can study in the UK.

The requirement for an ATAS certificate applies to all students whose nationality is outside the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, irrespective of country of residence at the point of application.

The Entry Clearance Officer (ECO) will ask to see your ATAS certificate as part of your visa application process.

UK immigration law does not allow universities to register international students for an ATAS applicable course until the student has supplied the university with all the relevant ATAS certificate details for their application.

New students

If you’re a new student and need an ATAS certificate, you will need to get this certificate before applying for a visa.

You can apply for an ATAS certificate up to 9 months before the starting date of your course. Early applications are strongly advised.

An ATAS certificate is valid for 6 months from date of issue, which should allow applicants plenty of time to apply for their student (Tier 4) visa. You can apply for a Tier 4 student visas up to 3 months in advance of the start of your course. This means you can apply for an ATAS certificate up to 9 months before the start of your studies. You should apply for your ATAS certificate as early as possible from the moment you are made a conditional offer to study at a UK Higher Education Institution (HEI).

Already in the UK on a student visa

If you’re already in the UK on a student visa you will need an ATAS certificate that accurately reflects the HEI you are attending, and the course and modules you are studying. Should any of these details change, you should re-confirm that your new details do not require an ATAS certificate and apply for a new certificate as appropriate.

You should make a note of when your visa for entry into the UK is due to expire, to allow yourself sufficient time to complete the ATAS and visa application processes before your current visa expires. We recommend applying at least 4 months in advance of your current visa expiring.

Already in the UK on a non-student visa

If you entered the UK on a Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 5 visa, which was issued on or after 6 April 2015, you must apply for an ATAS certificate before beginning your studies. If you entered the UK prior to 6 April 2015 a certificate is not yet required, although it will become a requirement when you come to renew your visa.

If you have Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) in the UK you do not need an ATAS to study in the UK. If you’re in the process of applying for asylum in the UK, you must apply for an ATAS certificate to study in the UK.

How long applications take

It will take at least 20 working days (4 complete weeks) for your ATAS application to be processed. Processing times will increase between the months of April and September and can take 30 or more working days to complete. If you apply between April and September you are asked to show patience in waiting for your application to be processed.

To ensure fairness and consistency we process applications in order of receipt. There is no ‘fast track’ service so you should submit your ATAS application as early as possible.

If you are extending studies, please ensure your application features the new length of your course, not the original length. You should continue to use the original start date on your application and put in the new end date.

Please ensure there are no long gaps in your employment / education history. If you were unemployed or, for example, a full-time parent please indicate this on the form.

Please ensure you enter the correct JACS code for your course before you submit your application as you may have to re-apply if you do not include this information.

Information entered by an individual at the application process is what is printed on the certificate. When you have completed your application, please read through your entries carefully before hitting the ‘submit’ key. The vast majority of mistakes on ATAS certificates, causing delays to students’ registration processes, are due to accidental errors made when entering data at the time of application.

Document information

31 October 2013
Service update: ATAS application website now up and running.

28 October 2013
Service update notice added: The ATAS application website is down temporarily.

9 August 2013
Added "Important: ATAS Service Update" section

18 July 2013
Updated contact information

3 May 2013
Removing downtime message as ATAS will not be affected by downtime after all.

3 May 2013
Added a note to online application to notify of downtime on 4th May.

15 April 2013
‘ATAS is currently accepting applications. Note that the existing service is scheduled to be replaced by a new online service shortly. Your application should not be affected by the change.’ replaced ‘The ATAS service is currently closed to new applications pending its re-launch on 15 April. Due to technical difficulties the site is re-opening one week later than originally scheduled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please ask your University to contact us on your behalf if your application will consequently require urgent attention after 15 April.’

8 April 2013
The ATAS service is currently closed to new applications pending its re-launch on 15 April. Due to technical difficulties the site is re-opening one week later than originally scheduled. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Please ask your University to contact us on your behalf if your application will consequently require urgent attention after 15 April.